SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's outdoor track & field team posted five scoring performances Friday as it completed the second day of the 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Slippery Rock's Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
 
Senior Nicola Puggé; capped an incredible multi career with a fourth-place finish in the heptathlon with a score of 4,473 points. Puggé was just five points shy of an All-PSAC third-place finish as she posted a new season best and came within 52 points of her personal best set during her sophomore season.
 
Overall, Puggé finished her career as a four-time Top 5 finisher in the heptathlon. She was third last season, the 2023 champion, and fifth in 2022.
 
The first of the horizonal jumps went well for Riyah Whigham, who recorded a new personal-best long jump of 18 feet, 10 ¾ inches (5.76m) that resulted in a fourth-place finish. Whigham, who was tied for the ninth seed entering the competition, exceeded her previous PR by more than six inches and moved up to No. 9 on SU's all-time list for the event.
 
Two Raiders reached the awards stand in the discus. Makayla Decker, last year's discus champion, made it a second straight Top 5 finish after recording a fifth-place throw of 133 feet, 8 inches (40.74 meters). ShanAnn Simmons, who was fourth in the event last year, placed eighth Friday on a top throw of 128 feet, 7 inches (39.19 meters).
 
Ashley Laukus posted a narrow improvement to her outdoor personal best by getting over the high jump bar at 5 feet, 5 ¼ inches (1.66 meters) – good enough for sixth place in this year's competition. Laukus moved out of a five-way tie for ninth place in school history and into a tie for eighth place on the all-time Top 10 with Kali Dawson. It is Laukus's first scoring performance in outdoor high jump.
 
In Friday's prelims, Shippensburg only ended up with seven individual entries – of which three advanced into finals. Melanie Barger claimed the No. 2 seed in the 400-meter hurdle finals, winning her heat with a late surge and a strong time of 1:03.58. Freshman Camryn Pyle will join her in the finals – she earned the No. 8 spot by winning her heat in a time of 1:05.87.
 
Alyssa Wert will be the No. 6 seed in the 400-meter finals after running 57.35 seconds. Emily Calamia just missed the final, earning ninth place on a time of 58.69 seconds. Freshman Michelle Olak and Pyle ran PRs in the 100-meter hurdles; Olak finished one spot shy of the final with a ninth-place time of 15.24 seconds.
 
Entering the final day, Shippensburg is in fourth place in the team standings with 32 points. Slippery Rock is in a good position and has 54 points through seven events, while East Stroudsburg has 42 points and Millersville 37 points.
 
Saturday's competition begins at 11 a.m.
 
Friday Results
 
3K Steeplechase
19. Leah Moffitt 12:14.27
 
High
6. Ashley Laukus 5' 5 ¼" (1.66m) (tied for No. 8 all-time at SU)   
10. Allyson Richwine 5' 3 ¼" (1.61m)
15. Elliot Oliphant 5' 1 ¼" (1.56m)
T21. Maryn Spitzlay 4' 9 ½" (1.46m)
 
Long
4. Riyah Whigham 18' 10 ¾" (5.76m) (No. 9 all-time at SU)
12. Anne Gardner 17' 6 ¼" (5.34m)
16. Nicola Puggé; 16' 3" (4.95m)
 
Discus
5. Makayla Decker 133' 8" (40.74m)
8. ShanAnn Simmons 128' 7" (39.19m)
11. Lauren Bellows 121' 9" (37.12m)
13. Caroline Mercer 119' 3" (36.36m)
19. Payton Bauer 104' 6" (31.86m)
 
Heptathlon
4. Nicola Puggé; 4473
13. Kaitlin Calvello 3709
 
Friday Prelims
 
100
No entries
 
200
No entries
 
400
6. Alyssa Wert 57.35q
9. Emily Calamia 58.69
 
800
No entries
 
100H
9. Michelle Olak 15.24
11. Camryn Pyle 15.34
 
400H
2. Melanie Barger 1:03.58q                                       
8. Camryn Pyle 1:05.87q
15. Madison Malcolm 1:07.21
 
4x1 Relay
Melanie Barger, Alyssa Wert, Emily Calamia, Addalynn Brower DNF